| |
Home > Information > About Mexico
About Mexico
History
Here you can find a brief summary of the history of Mexico, from the
Aztec period to our days, and other relevant information
more » |
Location
In full United Mexican States (Span. Estados Unidos
Mexicanos), federal republic, North America, bounded on the N
by the U.S.; on the E by the U.S., the Gulf of Mexico,...
more »
|
Climate
Mexico is bisected by the Tropic of Cancer; therefore, the S
half is included in the Torrid Zone. In general, climate varies
with altitude. The tierra caliente (hot land) includes...
more »
|
Plants and Animals
Because of the wide range of temperature, the native flora of
Mexico is extremely varied. Cactus, yucca, agave, and mesquite
are plentiful in the arid N. The tierra caliente is...
more »
|
Population
The Mexican population is composed of three main groups: the
people of Spanish descent, the Indians, and the people of mixed
Spanish and Indian ancestry, or mestizos...
more »
|
Principal Cities
The capital and cultural center of the country is Mexico City,
with a population (2000 census) of 8,605,239; the city, which
is coextensive with the Distrito Federal...
more »
|
Language
The prevailing and official language is Spanish, which is spoken
by the great majority of the population. Indian languages number
about 13, with many different...
more »
|
Religion
Roman Catholicism is the faith of about 89% of the people. Mexico's
long tradition of official anticlericalism ended in 1992 when
constitutional changes granted legal status to religious institutions
and allowed parochial schools. Protestants (about 6%) represent
a small but growing minority in Mexico.
|
Education
Primary education is free and compulsory for all children from
the ages of 6 through 18. Parochial schools were legalized in
the early 1990s. Secondary schools emphasize...
more »
|
Labor
The Mexican labor force totaled about 41.5 million persons in
the early 2000s. Agriculture employed about 18% of the labor
force, manufacturing and construction 24%, and services...
more »
|
|
|
Land and Resources
Most of Mexico is an immense, elevated plateau, flanked
by mountain ranges that fall sharply off to narrow coastal plains in the
W and E. The two mountain chains, the Sierra Madre
more » Natural Resources
Mexico has varied natural resources in its territory, some of these
are very important for the economy of the country for example: petroleum,
silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber among others.
more »
Rivers and Lakes
Mexico has few major rivers, and most are not navigable. The longest
river is the Rio Grande (called the Río Bravo in Mexico), which
forms the natural boundary between...
more »
|
Statistics
- Area:
- total: 1,972,550 sq km
- land: 1,923,040 sq km
- water: 49,510 sq km
- Population: 104,959,594 (July 2004 est.)
- Age structure(2004 est.):
0-14 years: 31.6%
(male 16,913,290; female 16,228,552)
15-64 years: 62.9%
(male 31,975,391; female 34,090,440)
65 years and over: 5.5%
(male 2,618,713; female 3,133,208)
- Population growth rate: 1.18% (2004 est.)
- Land boundaries:
- total: 4,353 km
border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
- Coastline 9,330 km
|
Culture
Rural areas are populated by Indians, descendants of the highly
developed societies of the Maya, Aztec, and Toltecs, and by Spanish
and mestizo farmers and laborers...
more »
|
Art
A rich tradition of painting and sculpture existed in Mexico
long before the arrival of the conquistadores. Combining this
tradition with imported Spanish techniques...
more »
|
Economy
Mexico reflects a shift from a primary-production economy, based on mining
and agriculture, to a semi-industrialized nation. Economic achievements
are the result of a vigorous...
more »
|
|
|
|
|
